CSIS Announces U.S.-Australia Speaker Series

WASHINGTON, February 26, 2014– The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is pleased to announce the launch of the U.S.-Australia Speaker Series to focus attention on key issues related to U.S.-Australia relations, energy, trade, and investment.

“A tremendous opportunity exists to deepen the strong partnership between our two nations,” said Dr. John Hamre, CSIS president, CEO, and Pritzker Chair. “Our hope is that we can provide a platform for exchange for senior U.S. and Australian officials from government, private sector, civil society, and the media, and that this exchange will yield real policy changes to confront the shared challenges and capitalize on the shared opportunities that exist for our two countries.”

The Australian Embassy welcomed the establishment of the U.S.-Australia Speaker Series, which provides a valuable opportunity for further dialogue on the evolving nature of the bilateral partnership. “One thing people sometimes overlook, for instance, is the huge scale of US-Australian trade and investment,” said Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kim Beazley. “Our two countries have more than $1 trillion invested in each other, and that makes the United States by far Australia’s single most important economic partner.”

The objective of the U.S.-Australia Speaker Series is to enhance U.S.-Australian ties by raising the profile of the relationship. It will feature leading individuals who play a role in advancing the strong ties between our two nations. The Speaker Series will raise awareness in Washington, D.C., and beyond of the shared issues facing the United States and Australia.

The one-year series, made possible with support from BHP Billiton (one of the world's leading resource companies), will be managed by the CSIS Pacific Partners Initiative and the CSIS Energy and National Security Program. For the latest information about the series and its upcoming events, please visit: http://csis.org/program/csis-australia-speaker-series

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that seeks to advance global security and prosperity by providing strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decisionmakers.